Titanium is a metal element found naturally in the environment. When it's exposed to oxygen in the air, it forms titanium oxides that are contained in many minerals, sands, soils, and dusts.

Still, in 2016 Skittles publicly declared it would get rid of the chemical compound in its products, according to a press release at the time from the Center for Food Safety, which called the substance harmful and potentially poisonous. But the ingredient remains, according to the lawsuit, which alleges the candy company is misleading consumers by not having eliminated titanium dioxide.

In a statement sent to USA TODAY on Sunday, Justin Comes, vice president of research and development for Skittles maker Mars Wrigley North America, said the company couldn't comment on pending litigation – but that its use of titanium dioxide and all Mars Wrigley ingredients are safe and manufactured in compliance with strict quality and safety requirements established by food safety regulators, including the FDA.

Titanium dioxide is produced in two main forms. The primary form, comprising over 98 percent of total production, is pigment grade titanium dioxide. The pigmentary form makes use of titanium dioxide’s excellent light-scattering properties in applications that require white opacity and brightness. The other form in which titanium dioxide is produced is as an ultrafine (nanomaterial) product. This form is selected when different properties, such as transparency and maximum ultraviolet light absorption, are required, such as in cosmetic sunscreens.

Titanium Dioxide is largely produced by the reduction of titanium tetrachloride, obtained in turn from chlorination of natural rutile, synthetic rutile derived from ilmenite or even slags rich in TiO2 produced by metallurgical treatment of ilmenite. TiO2 is also manufactured by treatment of ilmenite with sulfuric acid. Raw materials and the respective production processes employed in the manufacturing of Titanium Dioxide are listed below.

Micronized titanium dioxide doesn’t penetrate skin so there’s no need to be concerned about it getting into your body. Even when titanium dioxide nanoparticles are used, the molecular size of the substance used to coat the nanoparticles is large enough to prevent them from penetrating beyond the uppermost layers of skin. This means you’re getting the sun protection titanium dioxide provides with no risk of it causing harm to skin or your body. The coating process improves application, enhances sun protection, and prevents the titanium dioxide from interacting with other ingredients in the presence of sunlight, thus enhancing its stability. It not only makes this ingredient much more pleasant to use for sunscreen, but also improves efficacy and eliminates safety concerns. Common examples of ingredients used to coat titanium dioxide are alumina, dimethicone, silica, and trimethoxy capryl silane.